twentythree y.o. geographer, barista, yoga practitioner. University College London. born and bred in the lil' island of Singapore. constantly searching for answers. extremely flawed, especially when it comes to imposing standards on others, expecting too much, not knowing when to close her mouth (to shut the fuck up or to stop eating). too crazy for her own good and has to be taken with a massive handful of salt. adores backpacking, hitch-hiking, hill-walking, red wine, whiskey, cocktails, fine food and good conversations.
REMINDER:
"open your heart. someone will come. someone will come for you. but you'd have to open your heart first."
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| Tuesday, January 01, 2013
◔ 9:40 AM // ✎ 0 comment(s) | ❝ China Trip 2012 ❞ |
Super
duper long and naggy write up of my trip to China! :D don't bother
reading the words, just look at the photos! They were taken with my
crappy digital camera cause I couldn't find the energy to lug my DSLR
around (biggest regret ever). Didn't bother to edit them either cause
there was just too many (signs of my extreme laziness hahaha). So yes,
do hope you enjoy nonetheless :)
15th December 2012
Today morning I visited the 春秋乐园 and honestly I was pretty
disappointed. Expected more of it but... And it was the first time that I
realized what Jason said was true, the whole thing about some things
are better with friends haha. There were some awesome rides like a
roller coaster where you had to stand and stuff but I didn't scream
cause i was alone on the ride and it'd be stupid to scream haha. I need
to go to more theme park trips with Cordelia! That place was an
awesomely good place to camwhore though, with tonnes of ancient
figurines and statues that you can pose with. It will definitely be more
awesome in summer though, when you get all the water park and stuff?
But honestly I will never go into the water in summer. Not in China. I
didn't even dare get close to the sea in Halong Bay when I identified
the nationality of most of the visitors hahaha :P
Was supposed to eat dinner with Guoli today but I guess that didn't
work out cause i still don't have my own China number yet! Stupid father
and his disabled number :( oh well just really glad that his house has
some awesome WiFi of considerable speed that keeps me connected to the
outside world of friends though the awesomeness of What's App and Line
and even Twitter and Facebook TEEHEE.
Went to Tesco today, walked around with my grandmother asking me if I
ate this and that vegetable. What she doesn't realize is that it is not
about the vegetable but everything about the way it is cooked? I
basically eat everything with shitloads of Chili. Shitloads and together
with belacan hehehe.
Didn't get to shop today though but I'm shopping tomorrow!!! Already
targeted a few areas for attack ^^ However got to taste some awesome
food on my way to Tesco. Ate some pancake like thing which was
incredibly crispy and awesome (sorry no photos I was so hungry I wolfed
it up) and had great mango bubble tea. And guess what the bubbles were
actually filled with mango juice so when you bite it bursts into your
mouth ^^
Totally gonna get fat. This is the season where you eat not cause you're hungry but you eat cause it keeps you warm.
16th December 2012
Today was alright hehehe had a great time shopping. Starting to love
Changzhou more than Shanghai! Bought like four pairs of shoes and four
shirts and two skirts and four bags and n accessories. And of course
gifts for my dearest friends ^^ absolutely enjoy giving presents,
nothing makes me happier ^^
Was suppose to have dinner with Guoli today but I guess that got postponed again.
Had pretty good Italian food for lunch. I still enjoy eating street
food though but they're fattening and my uncle was treating me so~~~
Life is pretty good hehe did 9.63km in 1 hour today. Pretty proud of
myself. This holiday recount is starting to sound really naggy to me.
17th December 2012
Today I went to 嬉戏谷 it was pretty awesome. Very worth it for the amount
of money I paid? It was like the USS of China, pretty much. And the
rides were awesome omg. There was this dropping from the sky thing, and
there was this huge ass impressive roller coaster and on the ride they
prop you up like you're floating on the air like superman hehe. And damn
it was awesome I shrieked and shrieked and shrieked haha. There was
another one that kept going around in sort of circles.
The lunch was quite alright I was able to finish a single salad by
myself so I was very very impressed with myself. And I ate tepura and
cake and ice cream. And they even gave me this really adorable free cup
together with my ice cream! (photo is on Instagram).
This is how a fail camwhorer camewhores HAHAHA.
Finally
got a proper photo heh. Reminds me of that time that Cordelia and I
went to USS and there was this dude trying to take selfies outside the
Mummy exhibit by setting up a tripod and all HAHAHAHA.
18th December 2012
Went to 恐龙园 and it was as good as I remembered it to be! Fucking awesome
place. Except for the fact that the ride I was waiting for for YEARS
wasn't exactly working cause the temperature was too low. Which is
fucking incredulous given the fact that it was only the sort of
beginning of winter? But anyways I couldn't go onto my favorite ride :(
but it is alright I did my best to overcome my long term fear of the
vertical drop and I went onto it for three times in a row! It is
probably one of the only rides that can actually make me scream my head
off hehe.
At night went for an awkward dinner with the Chinese scholars. Awkward dinner was awkward.
19th December 2012
Had the most terrible flight of my life. Stuck in the middle of two
people that took both the arm rests. And my grandmother on my right kept
moving and I'm like FUCK. It was a terrible flight thank god I was able
to sleep the whole journey.
Went to Beijing and went to board. Took me about am hour to find my
form back again! So excited to go boarding over the next few days!
Except that my body just HAD to screw up on me again. For like the
second time.
20th December 2012
The day was spent at home. Refer to the body screw up part.
21st December 2012
Had a nice day boarding today ^^ had a mental breakdown though cause I
felt I was terrible and I cried like hell. Made a new friend who studies
in University and is in his fourth year, who spent a year in Canada as
an exchange student. We kept meeting on the ski lift cause we were of
the same standards so we chatted.
Through his 怂恿 I went on the most advanced trial in Beijing and
nearly died. A pity though, that we didn't exchange contact numbers.
差肩而过的朋友，多可惜呀。。。 Hi Michael Ge if you read this this is me hahaha. Not
like he will.
The rest of my family came today, my holiday is officially over.
22nd December 2012
Actually felt really tired for the first time today. My legs are so badly bruised that I cannot stand properly :( sigh oh well.
Thought I'd get to see Michael today but I didn't! Dad came today
though, for the first time in ages :) hate how though when the rest of
the family is around, my boarding time is cut short cause I have to eat
dinner with all of them. Yes I am complaining. Sigh.
Went to this street with cool and cute things today but everything is
honestly fucking expensive. Just nice to look at. And I had a great
time eating street food although I just had dinner ^^ absolutely love my
brother who also has an expandable stomach, cause he can accompany me!
It was absolutely freezing tonight, estimates to be -10 degrees. The
maximum temperature in Harbin is - 18 degrees, where I am flying to
tomorrow. Honestly I'm fucking screwed.
I was really shocked today though, that Yinren said that Russia is not famous for their hot guys? Hahaha.
23rd December 2012
Traveled to Harbin today! Absolutely love this city, almost as much as I love Changzhou already.
It was quite funny at the airport, how the Harbinites were all
travelling back from the south and how they cannot stand the cold there
haha. And they all recommended a particular ski resort that I cannot go
to this time :( but I hopefully will be able to go in March!
Apart from that the Harbinites were full of praises for their city! Here are a few:
1) how Harbin has very significant four seasons, because they are at a
higher latitude. They get to experience each season fully.
2) they are obsessed with dressing well. There was this statement I
heard today, how Harbinites will rather starve to death than not have
nice clothes. I can attest to this. I haven't seen a single person with
terrible dressing today and I'm fucking impressed at how the females can
all wear skinnies and leggings without feeling cold in this terrible
weather?
3) Harbin has awesomely good potatoes. It tastes so fucking good. It
was said that the best potatoes are at the 47th latitude and Harbin is
there.
4) Harbin is a country with a huge plethora of cultures- the Chinese
culture and the European culture. I will see about this myself for the
next two days :)
There was this joke I heard today. A foreigner was at the restaurant
and he ordered a soft drink. They asked him if he wanted it at room
temperature or if he wanted it chilled. He asked, "why would anyone want
to drink something chilled in this sort of weather?" and they replied
that the one at room temperature is - 30 degrees and the one that is
chilled is 5 degrees HAHAHA.
Harbin is really cold, and the roads are all covered over with a
layer of ice. Walking is a pain because you are always at risk of
slipping on a dirty floor. The traffic is terrible, partly because
everyone drives at snails' pace, given the nature of the floor haha. The
driver was worried that he couldn't get onto the expressway cause he
had to travel up a slope and he was afraid that the car will slip down
haha.
Still love this city nonetheless already. Let's see how it goes :)
24th December 2012
Today was a really boring day for Christmas eve haha. And I am hoping that Christmas is not a public holiday in China.
Got cheated today, we were supposed to go drinking tonight but my
father had too much to drink for dinner :( but oh well went to the gym
in replacement, good enough.
Wanted to gym today morning and did weights but I got distracted by
the fucking heated pool. And dayum it was just there tempting me.
Problem is that I didn't have a swimsuit. Wanted to buy from the hotel
but all they had were damn obiang and gross, China style. For example
the staff recommended me one with huge polka dots and told me to try. I
tried and wanted to kill myself lol. And this contemplating totally
wasted my time.
Had a really good day today. Went to the tiger park and saw Siberian
Tigers above many others. Like lions and panthers and... Pity there
weren't any baby tigers for me to hug :(
This is the food that they eat!
This
is a mixed breed between a lion and a tiger. Apparently they have to be
housed together from young for them to be able to mate because they are
unable to do so naturally. And they usually do not conceive naturally
either~
Harbin is damn fucking cold and I'm currently very impressed in how
good I can actually tolerate this cold? Absolutely in love with the
place.
Had a wonderful lunch, and went sightseeing to this road that is
pretty much entirely Russian inspired. Then played on the river that was
entirely frozen. It was so fucking cool. I learnt that:
1. The ice is about as thick as the height of am average sized adult
2. The ice is extracted from there, for the nearby well known worldwide ice expo, which I am going to tomorrow
3. After extraction, a flag is placed on the ice warning people. And the next day, the ice will be formed again.
How fucking cool hehe I don't even.
Touched the ice sculptures and damn they feel like plastic. Our
impression of ice is usually that of something that is wet? The ice is
dry here though, just like touching plastic. Cause it is too bloody cold
for it to melt.
Rode on dog driven sleighs on the ice and slid down snow slopes on
the ice. I want to ice skate! Harbin is such a wonderful place.
Had the opportunity to drink a plethora of beverages and... Currently in love with
1. 格瓦斯, a Russian beverage made of fermented bread. It is so sweet and
wonderful. Trying to think of a way to bring some back to Singapore
hahaha!
2. 蓝格格, a Chinese beverage made of wild blueberries. It tastes like fruit juice. There are even blueberry bits in the drink!
3. Harbin beer. Probably one of the best in the world. Light, and not
too tasteful. The per capita consumption of beer in Harbin is highest in
China and second highest in the world (second only to Moscow
apparently). Dad told stories of how they used to collect the beer in
plastic bags and etc and how beer was just sold off vehicles and carts
on the streets. Reminded me of the water trucks that we learnt in
geography haha.
4. Russian red wine. I am usually not a big fan of wine, but this was
really good. It didn't even taste like wine, and there were fruits
inside.
Love Harbin :)
25th December 2012
A really lame Christmas haha. Got the awesome opportunity to snowboard
in Harbin, but it is a pity that it isn't the best ski resort in Harbin
cause that is too far :(
The snow was completely different from the snow in Beijing. Partially
because that the snow is natural, and partially because the temperature
is so cold that it is no longer snow anymore. It is so cold that i
froze everywhere - my arms and legs, so much that I couldn't board down
anymore haha. It was less than - 35 degrees on the peaks and it was
terrible. Have you seen the condensation in your breath turn into ice
immediately? Have you ever realized that your teeth was clattering
involuntarily? Have you ever felt your nose freeze and that you had to
pant from your mouth? That was how terrible it felt.
My mum was being a bitch and it ruined my whole day, raging at me
twice lol. Wtf I swear she's fucking hormonal. She said that I had a bad
attitude but all I told her was that I had nothing to put in my bag
lol.
Went to a public bath at night, asked my mum if she wanted to go and
she raged at me asking what I was going there for. It was quite the
cultural shock - I have been to public baths in Japan but that have all
been pretty dim so no one saw shit. This place was fucking brightly lit
and there were people parading around naked lol. I was quite shocked
though, how some females have such huge tits but small boobs and how
some have such huge boobs and small tits. Maybe it is the size of the
tits relative to the boobs? Haha anyways my brother was telling me about
how many guys had small dicks. I was attracting attention to myself in
the bath by wrapping the huge towel for drying around myself while
walking around haha. But I did have a nice soak in the hot bath, so much
that I started sweating.
After that we had nice Chinese street food haha. Classic barbecue for
supper. Had a taste of exotic Chinese food, the likes of... The young
of the silk moth before it turns into the moth? The 蚕 of the same moth!
This is the kind of holidaying I love - going around to eat good food
muahahaha.
This is where they store the corn in winter!
26th December 2012
Mum scolded me in the morning saying that all I know how to do is play.
Fuck you obviously I want to play, I came to holiday to play duh no
shit.
Went to look at snow sculptures. They were beautiful omg. It is
unbelievable how snow can be shaped to become like that? And when you
touch it it feels solid, thanks to the temperature in Harbin ^^
Had a good lunch, where the fish is in a huge ass pot in the middle
of the table. The smoke from cooking the fish is diverted to under the
seats so when you sit on it it is warm :)
At night when go an incredible cafe for supper. The ambience was
really good, and the price was cheap. If I were staying in China
permanently is go there to do my work everyday haha. Photos on Instagram
:)
27th December 2012
Left my charger in Harbin. How fucking stupid this is what happens when
someone clears out the room first, and the second person to leave is not
observant? I left early in the morning and I couldn't check if I left
anything cause my brother's things were strewn everywhere and he didn't
see my charger in the port lol fuck.
Came back to Beijing to board and the snow is completely different.
Ate street food again, this time 麻辣龙虾 and it was good. The spiciness
really makes you numb - it is a different spiciness from sambal and
wasabi and it was really good ^^
28th December 2012
The day that I was to return to Singapore before I get caught for
overstaying. Spent my morning shopping before I went off and I spent
about 3K RMB.
Bought myself a new charger, but stupidly left it in the shopping
bags. Because I had too many new clothes that I bought, I decided to
leave them with the driver to get my dad to bring them bag and forgot
that the charger was inside. Stupid stupid decision.
On the way back the taxi driver thought I was from China. Lol just
cause I speak good Chinese doesn't mean you should judge me from the way
I speak. Fuck you. Labels: China, holiday
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